Actor's family in court over control of affairs

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Actor's family in court over control of affairs

Thursday, 22 January 2009 15:04

The family of Peter Falk will be headed to court in an effort to sort out who will control the actor's affairs.

After it was announced the Columbo star was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, his adopted daughter, Catherine Falk, filed a petition with the Los Angeles Superior Court that stated the actor should be placed under a conservatorship order to protect him. Actor's family in court over control of affairs

Actor's family in court over control of affairs

According to the petition, Catherine said a conservatorship would "protect Peter from fraud or undue influence."

However, on January 20th, a week before the scheduled hearing for Catherine's petition, Falk's wife of 32 years, Shera, filed separate papers to block her adopted daughter from being appointed conservator. In court papers, Shera stated Catherine "never had a good relationship with him."

"[The court] need not take the drastic step of taking away Peter's rights under the guise of a conservatorship," Shera said in response to the petition. According to Shera, if a conservatorship is necessary, she should be the one who is appointed.

This situation may be a sobering reminder to senior citizens to find a lawyer and to ensure their affairs are taken care of to avoid potentially costly family disputes in court.

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